Processing 120 Film

chaung77 · Apr 27, 2009

I'm new to 120 film so this is a really basic (and stupid) question, but I can't find the answer anywhere else.

Is there a standard way to cut 120 film negatives? Like in 35mm, I usually cut them in groups of 5. I was assuming with 120, since its much bigger, I'd cut it down to a single frame, but before I do so, I thought I'd find out if there is an industry standard or preference.

Thanks for the patience and input.

thebanana · Apr 27, 2009

It depends on the size of the frame you've shot and the type of Printfile sleeve you're using. For example, if you're shooting 6x4.5 you might cut in lengths of 4, 6x6 in lengths of 3 etc. Some Printfile sleeves accept negs horizontally, but with some sleeves you insert the negs vertically. Vertical sleeves allow you to add one more frame to your length, just to confuse the issue further

welcome to APUG, by the way.

Konical · Apr 27, 2009

Good Morning, Chaung77,

Most people cut 120 to fit the configuration of the plastic negative holders they use. 6 x 6 negatives may be cut into 4 strips of 3 or 3 strips of 4, depending on how the negative holder is designed. 6 x 9 negatives are normally cut into 4 strips of 2. 6 x 7 negatives are a problem because cutting them into 3 strips of 3 leaves one outstanding negative which won't fit onto an 8 x 10 contact sheet; 5 strips of 2 requires a second, partial contact sheet.

Konical

jim appleyard · Apr 27, 2009

Or, to be different, you can store your negs in long sleeves. You can buy 1000' rolls of sleeving and store whole rolls this way. Probably not the most common way to store, but still a viable one.

RobertV · Apr 27, 2009

In regular 120/220 sleeves:

6x 4,5 4 stripes of 4 negatives
6x6 4 stripes of 3 negatives

I have no 6x7 or 6x9 camera so I think 6x9 will use 4 stripes of 2 negatives.

George Collier · Apr 27, 2009

I shoot 120 square (6x6 cm) and favor 3 strips of four negs each, which fit in a binder. I prefer the least number of cuts, so the least number of "end cut" negs.

srs5694 · Apr 27, 2009

FWIW, I initially settled on four strips of three for my 120 film (6x6 format); however, since then I acquired a new film scanner, which has a window that's two frames (120mm) long. Thus, when my current supply of PrintFile sleeves runs out, I plan on switching to three strips of four frames. That should make for slightly easier scanning, since there'll be less futzing with the negatives to scan them. Obviously this isn't an issue for an all-analog workflow, and the details will differ even for different scanners, but it's an issue you might want to consider.

MattKing · Apr 27, 2009

I use PrintFile Sleeves designated as "Style No. 120-3HB" in which the sleeves channels are oriented vertically. They hold four 6x6 format or 5 6x4.5 format negatives or 3 6x7 negatives in a single channel.

My 6x4.5 equipment gives me 15 exposures on a 120 roll, so if I'm shooting either 6x6 or 6x4.5, I can fit an entire roll on a single sheet. If I shoot 6x7, I suffer from the dreaded "single extra negative" syndrome.

Matt

P.S. Here is a link to the PrintFile website, which is full of interesting info:

http://www.printfile.com/index.asp

vdonovan · Apr 27, 2009

Note that if you are scanning you want to make sure your cut strategy fits the film holder. The Nikon 9000 scanner only takes 3-frame strips.

thebanana · Apr 27, 2009

MattKing said:
If I shoot 6x7, I suffer from the dreaded "single extra negative" syndrome.

Matt

P.S. Here is a link to the PrintFile website, which is full of interesting info:

http://www.printfile.com/index.asp

I hate it when that happens.

Dirb9 · Apr 28, 2009

There is a thread on filing 6x7 right here: (there was a url link here which no longer exists) I personally use Printfile 120-4UB sheets and cut my negatives in a 3-3-2-2 pattern.

Steve Smith · Apr 28, 2009

6x4.5 - 3 strips of 5
6x6 - 3 strips of 4
6x7 - 3 strips of 3 and one left over!
6x9 - 4 strips of 2

With the exception of 6x7, which has one odd frame, when cut this way they will all fit a full roll onto an 8x10 sheet for contact printing.

Steve.

Processing 120 Film

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